Compressor stator vanes in an industrial gas turbine are loaded and unloaded during start-stop cycles. In addition, the vanes are subject to small pressure fluctuations during operation. These result in relative motion between the vane and the casing in which the vanes are assembled. This causes the hook-fit on the stator base and the corresponding portion of the casing to wear and eventually could lead to fracture. Failure along part of the stator hook-fit causes tipping of the stator ring, creating a flow path other than that in the original design.
Previous solutions to this issue include a pinning method and a strapping method. The pinning method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,984,108, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by this reference. The pinning method uses a pin and hole method to link adjacent stators to form a rigid ring of stators. The strapping method, schematically illustrated in FIG. 1, provides a strap 10 that is bolted as at 12 to multiple stator bases 14, thereby creating a rigid ring segment 16. This fixing method has been used for over ten years.